Commerical Ethanol Technology & Research Worshop On the Horizon

Joanna Schroeder

The third annual Ethanol Technology & Research Workshop is on the horizon. Sponsored by Biofuels Journal and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), The workshop is being held in St. Joseph, Missouri on October 27-28th and includes a tour of the of the LifeLine Foods corn fractionation ethanol production plant. The focus of this year’s session are commercial technologies that are helping to put producers on ahead of the efficiency and profitability curve.

Presentations will focus on how to improve an ethanol plant’s bottom line with the newest technologies available. For example, presenters will discuss turning thin stillage into biogas to displace natural gas, advanced dryer technologies and fractionation technologies. Other topics will include some of the latest advances in advanced biofuels and cellulosic ethanol research.

Speakers include Steve Shivvers, Tri-Phase; John McDowell, EISENMANN; Doug Rivers, ICM; Dr. Henry Daniell, University of Central Florida; a panel on advanced biofuels hosted by John Caupert with the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center; and Ron Lamberty with ACE will give an update on the State of the Industry as we head into the end of the year; among others. The keynote speech “How the Ethanol Industry Impacts the U.S. Economy,” will be given by John Urbanchuck, Technical Director for Entrix Inc.

Registration is still open. Click here to learn more about the workshop and to register.

ACE, biogas, biomass, Cellulosic, corn, Ethanol

Lamb Energy Practices What They Preach

Joanna Schroeder

Lamb Energy is practicing what they preach. The solar company has just completed a solar roof array utilizing Sharp solar panels on its headquarters in Riverside California. To date, the company has worked on solar projects with the likes of the Naval Post Graduate School, Marine Corps Air Station and Naval Air Weapons Station.

“Sharp panels offer the reliability and superior engineering we trust in our customer installations, so it was the obvious choice to use their solar panels on our own project,” said Matt Shea, Vice President of Business Development at Lamb Energy. “Sharp powers more homes and businesses than any other solar panel manufacturer worldwide and we’re happy that our headquarters is now a part of the clean energy revolution.”

The 17.5 kilowatt system will power approximately 60 percent of the building’s annual energy consumption. Each year, the solar array, comprised of 81 Sharp ND-216UC1 216 watt polycrystalline modules in a roof mounted system, will eliminate approximately 9.5 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. When compared to oil, the solar energy will offset the consumption of more than 45 barrels of oil per year. To help cover the costs of the project, Lamb Energy tapped into Riverside Public Utilities’ $3 Watt solar rebate, saving the company more than $44,000 on the project.

“It’s the ultimate vote of confidence when a company that specializes in solar installations selects our panels for their own building,” said Eric Hafter, senior vice president, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. “We value our relationship with Lamb and we’re delighted that they chose Sharp panels to power the solar array at their headquarters.”

Electricity, Solar

New E85 Pump in Michigan

Cindy Zimmerman

PS Food Mart recently installed a new E85 pump in Jackson, Michigan, thanks to assistance from Growth Energy’s 2010 E85 and Blender Pump Program, offering funds to retailers for the alternative fuel infrastructure.

The new pump opened on September 20th and has been dispensing about 100 gallons a day. “We wanted to be able to provide a fuel that is increasing in demand by the motoring public, as well as commit to be environmentally friendly,” said VP of Business Development for PS Food Mart, Jim Linton.

To date, Growth Energy has helped install a total of 94 E85 and blender pumps across the country.

E85, Ethanol, Growth Energy

‘Be True to Your Fuel’ Video Contest Kicks Off

Joanna Schroeder

Calling all college students in the state of Iowa. The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board have launched a “Be True to Your Fuel” video contest that encourages students to show their spirit for corn ethanol, E85 and flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). The contest is part of ICGA’s 2010 GameDay GiveAway promotions and activities that are taking place in the state through the end of the year.

The contest is open to any Iowa State or University of Iowa students and the 30 second videos are due by November 5th. While your creativity is unlimited, the video must have a positive message about corn ethanol, E85 or FFVs and their impacts on the state of Iowa.

“Iowa Corn is proud to partner with Iowa and Iowa State Universities on the GameDay events that promote flexible fuel vehicles and corn fed ethanol,” says Shannon Textor, Iowa Corn Market Development Director. “We want everyone in the state to share in our enthusiasm for fuel that comes directly from Iowa farmers and our neighborhood ethanol plants.”

All submitted videos will be subject to final review by Iowa Corn before being posted on YouTube®. From all entries submitted, three videos will be selected as finalists by a panel of judges and the finalists will be notified by November 8, 2010. From there, the winner will be chosen based on voting from November 12 through November 26, 2010.

The winning video will be shown during the Iowa-Iowa State men’s basketball game. Several prizes will be awarded including a grand prize of $5,000; second prize of $2,500 and third prize of $1,000.

The GameDay GiveAway promotions include radio, TV, internet, and on-site marketing and is designed to highlight the many uses for corn as well as corn’s positive impact on Iowa. For a detailed description of the contest visit www.iacornfed.com.

corn, E85, Education, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles

Enter The ‘Truth’ About Ethanol Video Contest

Joanna Schroeder

Colorado Corn Growers Association (CCGA) is tired of the myth that corn ethanol is not energy efficient. So much so that they have launched a state-wide video contest. Budding producers are asked to create a 30 or 60 second video that promotes the truth about ethanol. The winner could win a $600 grand prize and his or her mini-film could be used in CCGA’s state marketing efforts.

According to CCGA’s spokesperson Linda Lewis, the video will be used as part of a statewide K-12 education program that will educate students about the benefits of corn ethanol.

“The second mission of this contest is to create a renewed interest in corn ethanol in homes across the state and potentially drive a large number of people to our Web site, where they will find a list of resources containing the most current and up-to-date information and scientific data on corn ethanol and its energy efficiency,” said Lewis in the Fort Morgan Times.

Lewis continued by explaining that the contest is just the beginning of a long-term campaign that will tell the “truth” about corn ethanol and the campaign won’t end until all Americans understand the value of the alternative fuel.

“We will not give up until the truth prevails,” she said.

Videos are due by October 31, 2010 and contestants can learn more information about the Ag in Action Video contest at www.coloradocorn.com.

corn, Education, Ethanol

Andersons Marathon Ethanol to Turn CO2 Into Dry Ice

Joanna Schroeder

Andersons Marathon Ethanol, a partnership between The Andersons, Inc. and Marathon Petroleum Company, LP that produces ethanol, has entered into an agreement to supply CO2 created during the ethanol production process at their TAME plant in Greenville, Ohio, to Continental Carbonic Products, Inc. to create dry ice. Continental Carbonic Products is building a new 50,000-square-foot-dry ice manufacturing facility next to the TAME plant. Once the plant is online, it will employ 70 full-time employees.

“Continental Carbonic Products is a significant force in the U.S. dry ice market,” said Neill McKinstray, Vice President & General Manager of Ethanol for The Andersons. “We are pleased to have them join us at our Greenville ethanol plant, and look forward to advancing our common business interests, as well as contributing to the growth and prosperity of the Greenville area.”

The Andersons, Inc., which serves as operator and manager of the ethanol plant in Greenville, has a similar agreement with Continental Carbonic at The Andersons Albion Ethanol plant in Albion, Michigan.

“The Andersons Marathon Ethanol are exactly the type of high quality, high integrity strategic partner we look for when we expand our business,” said Robert Wiesemann II, CEO and Vice-Chairman of Continental Carbonic. “We have partnered with The Andersons for over four years in Albion, Michigan and our relationship has proven to be very beneficial to both parties. We also want to thank the Greenville community and State of Ohio Department of Development who have worked very hard to provide the economic framework to make this project successful and have welcomed us so warmly.”

Ethanol

Brown Researchers Green WVO-to-Biodiesel Conversion

John Davis

Researchers at Brown University have found a more streamlined and greener way to turn waste vegetable oil into biodiesel.

This school press release says Brown University chemist Jason Sello and postdoctoral researcher Aaron Socha have eliminated the corrosive chemicals usuallu used in the reactions… a process that is six times faster than previous methods, using less energy:

“We wanted to develop an environmentally benign and technically simple way to convert waste vegetable oil into biodiesel,” said Sello, assistant professor of chemistry. “The production of energy at the expense of the environment is untenable and should be avoided at all costs.”

Waste vegetable oil is made up of triacylglycerols, free fatty acids, and water. The conventional way to convert waste vegetable oil into biodiesel requires two separate reactions. The first reaction turns the free fatty acids into biodiesel, but that conversion requires sulfuric acid. The second reaction converts the triacylglycerols into biodiesel, but that conversion requires sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide/potassium hydroxide and sulfuric acid are not compatible with each other, so the reactions must be carried out in separate vessels. That makes the process less efficient.

To find a better way, Sello and Socha went looking for catalysts that would be cheap, chemically stable and of limited toxicity. They settled on the metals bismuth triflate and scandium triflate, commonly used as catalysts in preparative organic chemistry. In addition, they performed the reactions using a microwave reactor instead of a conventional thermal heater. What they found was the new catalysts converted waste vegetable oil into biodiesel in about 20 minutes in the microwave reactor, whereas current reactions without catalysts using a conventional heater take two hours. While their microwave method needs a higher temperature to pull off the biodiesel conversion — 150 degrees Celsius versus 60 degrees Celsius under current methods — it uses less energy overall because the reaction time is much shorter.

The chemists also were able to perform the conversion in one reaction vessel, since the catalysts can promote both the reaction that converts free fatty acids into biodiesel and the reaction in which triacylgycerols are converted to biodiesel.

The catalysts in the conversion can be reused up to five times. Now the challenge is to do the process on an industrial scale.

Biodiesel, Research, Waste-to-Energy

Solar to Power California Rice Cooperative

John Davis

A California rice cooperative is harnessing the power of the sun for its drying and storing operations.

China-based ET Solar Group Corp has provided a 1.15 megawatt photovoltaic project for the Red Top Rice Grower Association, a non-profit cooperative organization for drying and storing rice for the farmers in the state. Granite Bay Energy developed and installed the system.

At unit peak output of 275 watt, almost 4200 ET Solar modules, specially developed for commercial and utility projects, were installed. With a 25-year designed life, the project is expected to generate approximately 2.4 million KWh of electricity annually and provide 70% power that RTRG requires.

Solar

Brazil to Generate Electricity From Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

According to the Associated Press, General Electric has announced that it has received a contract from Brazil state-owned energy company Petrobras to convert a second gas turbine to burn sugarcane-based ethanol. The turbine is at a power plant serving the city of Juiz de Fora, northwest of Rio de Janeiro.

Back in January, Petrobras’ plant became the first in the world to generate electricity from ethanol, but possibly more unique, it became a “flex-fuel” turbine in that it can run using either ethanol or natural gas. With a successful testing period, the second turbine at the facility is now being flex-fuel converted as well.

According to a Petrobras press release from this past January, the thermoelectric plant, which is one of 14 operational thermoelectric plants running on natural gas in the park, is comprised of two 6,000 GE LM aero-derived turbines. One turbine provides half of the electric plant’s 87 megawatt capacity. In addition to the thermoelectric plants, the park also has 15 small hydroelectric plants and 12 that run on oil for a total of 7,028 megawatt capacity for the entire park.

The conversion of the turbine involved the replacement of the combustion chamber, of one of the injector nozzles, and the installation of peripheral equipment (receipt system, tanks, pumps and filters) which allow the receipt, storage and flow of ethanol to the turbine, according to the release.

Petrobras is Brazil’s largest energy company.

Brazil, Electricity, Ethanol

OPXBIO Named GoingGreen Silicon Valley Top 100

Joanna Schroeder

GoingGreen Silicon Valley has named it’s Top 100 for 2010 and on the list includes renewable biofuel and biochemical company, OPX Biotechnologies (OPXBIO). The list honors the companies that are developing technologies that will ‘change the world’ and ‘disrupt existing markets and entrenched players’. The list is based on five major categories including innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz.

“It is an honor to be recognized among this impressive group of clean technology industry leaders,” said Charles R. (Chas) Eggert, President and CEO of OPXBIO. “This recognition strengthens our responsibility and commitment to realize the economic and sustainability benefits of our breakthrough first commercial product – renewable BioAcrylic – for consumer and industrial customers.”

According to OPXBIO, they have developed a proprietary technology known as EDGE (Efficiency Directed Genome Engineering) to manufacture renewable bio-based chemicals and fuels that are lower cost, higher return, and more sustainable than existing petro-based products. Of special note, the company has developed a diesel fuel bio-processed from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded OPXBIO $6 million to support this development.

Other notable winners in the GoingGreen Silicon Valley Top 100 include; Amyris, Chemrec, Cobalt Technologies, CoolPlanetBioFuels, Coskata, EdeniQ, Gevo, LS9, Mendel Biotechnologies, Sapphire Energy, Solazyme, Synthetic Genomics, and ZeaChem.

Weston McBride, Greentech Editor at AlwaysOn said of the winners, “The GoingGreen Silicon Valley Top 100 winners have thrived during trying economic conditions through innovation and creativity. It is by their example that the next generation of clean technologies will transform the global economy with more robust systems primed for sustained growth.”

Agribusiness, Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Hydrogen